Stem winding and setting watch



(No Model.)

G. B. HUNTER. STEM WINDING AND SETTING WATCH.

No. 508,482. Patented Aug. 15, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

GEORGE E. HUNTER, OF ELGIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELGIN NATIONAL WVATOII COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STEM WINDING AND SETTING WATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 503,482, dated August 15, 1893.

Application filed January 25, 1893. Serial No.459,696. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. HUNTER, of Elgin,in the county of Kane, and in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stem Winding and Setting WVatches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View, from the front, of a watch movement containing my improvement, the dial being removed and the Winding and setting train shown in winding engagement. Fig. 2 is a like view of the same when in setting engagement. Fig. 3 is aperspective View of the movement from the rear, the back plate, barrel bridge, and the time train being removed, and the parts connected with the winding and setting train shown in normal winding engagement. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same with the case stem in longitudinal section, and shows the relative positions of parts when the stem arbor is drawn to the outer limit of its longitudinal motion. Fig. 5 is a like view of said movement and shows the positions of parts when the stemarbor has been moved inward sufficiently to produce setting engagement, and Figs. 6 and 7 are sections on the lines tic-.23 and :r and 00', of Figs. 1 and 2 respectively.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

My invention relates to watches in which the entire manipulation of winding and handssetting is effected through the longitudinal and rotary movements of a stem arbor that has no positive connection with the movement and is intended to render the positions of the hands secure against accidental interference, and to such end my invention consists in a watch in which the winding and setting engagements are effected in the manner and for the purpose substantially as hereinafter specified.

In the carrying of my invention into practice, any form of Winding and setting mechanism in which there is a normal setting engagement, may be employed, but it will be a suflicient illustration of the principle involved to show the construction preferably used. In such construction there is jonrnaled upon or within the outer face of the front plate A, a toothed wheel 13, that engages with and is rotated by a cannon pinion O which is journaled upon the opposite side of said plate and is adapted to receive the end of an arbor D, that in turn, is journaled within the stem 0 of a watch case E, and is adapted to be moved longitudinally within the same and to be yielding] y locked at each end of its longitudinal motion.

Pivoted upon the pivotal bearing 1), of the wheel B, is a yoke F, which upon one end has pivoted a wheel G that is constantly in mesh with said wheel, and, by the movement of said yoke upon its pivotal bearing, may be caused to mesh with or be thrown out of mesh with the winding wheel H of the train.

At the end of the yoke F opposite to the wheel G, is a pinion I which is j ournaled upon one end of a spring 2, that has its opposite end secured within a recess a,-to the plate A, the arrangement being such as to enable said pinion I to have a certain amount of motion in a line with its axis. Said pinion is constantly engaged with the wheel B, and when at the outer limit of its motion is, also, in engagement with a wheel K that forms one of the dial wheels of the movement, but when depressed to the inner limit of its motion, is below the plane of said dial wheel, although still engaged by said wheel B. The supporting spring "5, exerts an outward pressure upon the pinion I, so as to give to it a tendency to engage with the dial wheel K, and to remain in such engagement unless moved out of the same. Such change of engagement is effected by means of a plate L which has the form shown, and is pivoted upon the plate A in such position as to cause one end to project over said pinion I, and to bear upon the upper end of its pivotal bearing 1" so as to lock said wheel out of engagement with said dial Wheel.

The plate L is provided with an opening Z which is slightly larger in diameter than the upper end of the bearing 6, and when said plate is swung so as to cause said opening to coincide with said bearing, the latter and its pinion will, by the action of the spring 1', be moved outward so as to eifect an engagement with the'dial wheel. The lower face of said plate, adjacent to said opening, is inclined or ICO beveled so that when it is swung so as to move the opening away from said bearing, such inclined part engaging with the latter forces the same inward, and disengages said pinion I from the dial wheel, the intermediate pinion thus actuated having what is known as a rising and falling motion.

The yoke F is, by the action of a spring M, held with a yielding pressure in position to cause engagement between the wheel G and the winding wheel II, while the plate L is, by

means of a spring N, held with a yielding pressure in position to prevent engagement between the pinion I and the dial wheel K, in i which positions, the rotation of the stem-arher will operate to wind the main-spring, and will not affect the hands.

To enable the setting engagement to be effected, there is pivoted upon the lower face of the-plate A, a bar 0, which has one end in engagement with a block or intermediate device d that is contained within the common pinion 0, receives the thrust of the stem-arbor D, .and constitutes an extension of the same. The opposite end of said bar is provided with a round pin 0 which enters into a correspondingly shaped notch 19, that is provided within one side of a triangular shaped block P. Said block is pivoted at one corner upon one end of spring Q, that is secured upon the plate A, whereby said block is held with a yielding pressure against a stop R, in the position shown in Fig. 4. A second spring S, secured at one end to said plate A, has its free end in engagement with the inner end of said bar 0, and operates to hold the same with a yielding pressure against the intermediate device 61, and said device at the outer limit of its motion. As thus arranged, when the stem arbor D is at the inner limit of its longitudinal motion, the contiguous end of the lever is pressed inward and the block P assumes the position shown in Fig. 3, its point p being turned inward toward the center of the movement, but when said arbor is drawn outward, the position of said block, as seen in Fig. 4, is reversed, and it is pressed against its stop R.

Extending rearward from the plate L, between its pivotal bearing and its outer end, is a stud Z, which passes through an opening a in the plate A, in a line with the point p of the block P, and at a point substantially between its extremes of motion. Said stud has such relation to the pivotal bearing of said block as to cause the point of the latter to engage with it whenever, by the motion of the stem arbor D and lever or bar 0, said block is swung from one limit of its motion to the other limit of such motion, the result of which is to cause said plate to turn upon its pivotal bearing so as to permit the pinion I to engage with the dial wheel K, and at the same time cause the yoke F to turn so as to release the wheel G from engagement with the winding wheel H, such engagement and disengagement, however, being but for an in stant as said blockP passes from one position to another position. The engagement and movement of the stud Z, by the block P, occurs only when the latter moves in the direction away from the stop R. In moving in the opposite direction the block simply rides over the stud without moving it; and as this last movement is caused when the stem arbor is drawn outward, it will be seen that setting position cannot be produced by pulling said arbor outward. Movement of the yoke F to disengage the wheels G and H is eifected by providing an arm or extension f on said yoke against which the free end of the plate L is adapted to impinge, as the latter is swung to permit engagement between the pinion I and dial wheel K to take place. \Vit-h the com struction shown, the stem driven train is in engagement with the winding Wheel when the stem arbor is at each limit of its longi tudinal motion, and in order to effect the hands setting engagement, the point p of the block P is provided with a concave recess or notch which is adapted to engage with the stud Z and to lock said block in such engage ment. To effect the desired setting engagement, the stem arbor is now drawn to the outer limit of its longitudinal motion, and is then pushed inward about one half way, when the engagement of said pivotal block and the stud Z will lock the parts in setting engagement, which can only be changed by moving said stem arbor to the inner limit of its motion.

It will be seen that the construction described renders impracticable the accidental production of the setting engagement and affords absolute safety from an accidental change of the position of the hands.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A stem winding and setting Watch in which are combined, a rotatable, longitudinally movable, stem arbor, a train driven thereby adapted to alternately communicate its motion to the winding and the dial wheels, and mechanism adapted only by a partial inward movement of the stem arbor after the same has been drawn outward, to place said stem driven train in setting engagement, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. A stem winding and setting watch in which is combined a stem arbor that has no positive connection with the movement, and is adapted to be moved longitudinally and to be rotated, a stem driven train which is in winding engagement when said stem arbor is at either limit of its longitudinal motion, and is in setting engagement when said stem arbor is at a point between such limits, and mechanism adapted only by a partial inward movement of the stem arbor to produce setting engagement, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

3. A stem winding and setting watch, in which are combined, a rotatable longitudinally movable stem arbor, a train driven thereby adapted to be alternately placed in In testimony that I claim the foregoing I connection with the Winding, and the dial have hereunto set my hand this 23d day of 10 wheels, and a pivoted block having its move- December, 1892. ments controlled by the stem arbor, adapted 5 to shift said. train to setting engagement only by the partial inward movement of the stem Vitnesses: arbor, substantially as and for the purpose GEO. S. PRINDLE, set forth. CARLOS H. SMITH.

GEORGE E. HUNTER. 

